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2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. M. SOHLESINGER.

(No Model.)

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

PatentedlMar. 30, 1886.

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W. M. SOHLESINGER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 339,018 Patented Mar. 30, 1886.

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WILLIAM M. SCHLESINGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 339,018, dated March 30,1886.

Application filed November 24, 1885. SerialNo. 183,870.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. ScHLEs- INGER, asubject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiaand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Railways, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,where- 1n- Figure 1 is a diagram showing line of electrical conductors,one of which is made up of disconnected or insulated sections, safetydevices for said sections, a feeding-conductor for the safety devices, agenerator, and an electrical indicator and circuit-connections to thesafety devices, all arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 isa diagram showing one of the conductor-sections, a preferable form ofsafety device, indicator, and its circuit-connections to the safetydevice. Fig. 3 is a plan of detail modification, and Figs. 4, 5, and 6are detail plans of modifications of safety devices andcircuit-connections with the indi cator-box.

My invention has relation to line circuits or conductors for electricrailways or for other purposes, and has particular reference to thatform of railways wherein one or both lineconductors are divided intosections and each section provided with a current safety device, so thatwhen the electrical condition of any one or more of the sections becomesfaulty or defective the excess of current passing to the faulty sectionwill cause the safety device to act to cut the section out of theline-circuit, and thereby prevent the safety of traffic or continuity oftravel of the whole line being endangered by such faulty or defectivesection; and it has for its object to automatically locate a defectiveor faulty section after it has been out out of the linecircuit, in orderthat it may be quickly repaired. To accomplish this result I provide oneor more indicatorboXes at the generator or other stations located alongthe line of way, and provide for connecting each section or its safetydevice with a separate call or marked drop-plate in the indicator-box,so that when an excess of current passes to a section and operates its(No model.)

safety device to cut the section out of the linecircuit the safetydevice will also act to close or interrupt the circuit to the individualcall or plate for said section in the indicatorboX, and therelyautomatically locate the faulty section, so that the repair or line mencan go to it and repair it without imposing upon them the labor ofhunting up such faulty section.

My invention accordingly consists of a linecircuit having sections, eachof which is pro vided with a safety device, a feeding conductor orconductors for the safety devices, an indicator-box, and circuitconnections between the safety devices and the indicator-box, ashereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a line of railway; B, the cars havingelectric motors and traveling connections with the line-conducto rs GO,of any of the well-known or other forms. One of the conductors, O, isdivided into disconnected or insulated sections 0, and each section isprovided with a current safety device, D, in circuit with afeeding-conductor from generator E by way of wire 0 all of 7 which maybe variously constructed and arranged as described and shown in anapplication for United States Letters Patent filed by me of an even dateherewith, and I do not herein confine myself to any particular divisionof the line-conductors into sections, nor to the safety devices andtheir feeding-conductors.

At a suitable point or points along the line of way, preferably at thegenerator or working-station, I locate an indicator-box, F, havingsuitable calls or drop-plates, f, equal in number to theconductor-sections of the line. f is abattery for the indicator, havingfeedingconductor f which passes to all the safety devices on the line,and from each of these devices is a separate return-wire, f, for theindividual call or drop plate in the indicator box.

In the drawings, more plainly shown in Fig. 2, I have illustrated anopen circuit, f*, between the battery feed-wire f and the returnwires fthe terminals f of which are in the line of movement of a movable leveror part, 9, of the safety devices, so that when an excess of currentcauses any one safety device to act. to cut a conductor-section, c, towhich it is applied, out of the line-circuit the movable lever y will bemoved by its retracting-spring to contact with the electrodes orterminals f to complete the battery-circuit through the individual callin the indicator-box for the cutout section, and thus locate it to theattendant at the working station.

Instead of fixed contact-pointsf a springcontact may be used, as shownin Fig. 3, to complete circuit to wire f of box F.

In the drawings I have shown the form of safety device having twopivoted right-angle levers, g g, having retracting-springs'g g andarmature g for magnet 9 and contact-plate g, with circuit-connections,as fully described and shown in my aforesaid application; butI do notlimit myself to any particular form of safety devices, as a fusibleflexible strip safety device of the well-known form or otherconstructions of the same may be employed; nor do I limit myself to themanner shown and described of making circuit through theindicator-battery when the safety devices act to cut out aconductor-section, as it is obvious that such circuit maybe made orinterrupted to sound the alarm in various ways without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. Again, while I have described the indicatorapplied to railways having sectional line-conductors, I do not limitmyself thereto, as the indicator may be used in connection with any ofthe now known constructions of line-conductors for locating faultyinsulation or defects in the line.

I have shown some of the many forms of safety devices that may be usedin Figs. 4., 5, and 6 of the drawings.

In Fig. 4 the fusible strip safety device is illustrated both forsectional line-conductor and for the indicator-box. In this case thecurrent passes from C to binding-post d, fusible strip d, andbinding-post d" to section 0 of line-conductor 0. Strip d is of suchthickness that it melts on the passage of a current exceeding a certainfixed limit. Below this strip 01 is another strip, (i of fusiblematerial, fixed between binding-posts d d and very close to but nottouching strip (1. Strip 01 is in circuit with battery and indicator-boxwires f f, as shown. le s soon as strip d melts, through a too heavycurrent passing to section 0, the strip (1 is fused by the spark,interrupting the current of battery f to allow the number in theindicator-box for said section to fall down.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the current for the section passes from 0around the magnet g in and to its armature support or lever g to acontact-pin, g, and thence to section a. The lever g is held in contactwith pin 9 by a spring, g. At the outer end of lever g is an insulatedmetal pin or plate, 8, having connection s with battery-wire f and belowwhich is a flexible contact strip or point, 8,

in circuit with indicator-box wire J. The contact-strip s is normallyaway from leverstrips when the desired or normal current is passing tosection 0. In line with the end movement of strip sis a spring-catch, 8If the current passing to section 0 is not in excess of that desired,the parts of the safety device assume the position shown. If, however,the current exceeds this limit, the attraction of magnet g exceeds theforce of spring 9 and its armature is attracted to move lever gdownwardly. The metal strip 8 then snaps into catch 8 and is held thereuntil manually released, the current through contact is broken and thecontact between strip 8 and point 3 is made to complete thebattery-circuit through the indicator-box for the drop or signal ofsection a.

In Fig. 6 the battery f and its wire f is dispensed with, and a singlefusible strip, (1, is used between section a and its feedingwire 0. Inthis case the indicator-box F is in a shunt of high resistance from thedynamo E, and if the current to section a is interrupted by the fusingof strip (1 the current through its drop or signal in the indicatorboxis also interrupted. When the indicator box is so located, either thefusible strip or magneto safety devices, as shown, may be used.

What I claim is-= 1. An electric line-circuit having disconnected orinsulated sections of wire or circuit, safety devices withfeeding-conductors for said sections, in combination with anindicator-box having an individual call or indicator for each saidsection, and circuit-connections between the safety devices andindicator-box, substantially as set forth.

2. A line-circuit having safety devices for different points along thesame, separate feeding conductor or conductors for the safety devices,in combination with an indicator, and circuit-connections between theindicator and safety devices, substantially as set forth.

3. An electric railway having a 1ine-circuit, disconnected or insulatedsections in said circuit, safety devices with feeding-conductors forsaid sections, and connection between the safety devices and anindicator-box, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A line-conductor having a section provided with safety device havinga feedingconductor, which device acts by excess of current to out saidsection out of the line-conductor, in combination with an indicatorattachment which is operated by the safety device simultaneously withthe cutting of the section out of the line-conductor, substantially asset forth.

5. In combination with an insulated section or point of a line-circuit,a safety device having a feeding-conductor, circuit-connec tions, and anindicator, and operating by excess of current passing through it tosimultaneously out said section out of the line-circuit and produce anautomatic operation of through the safety devices to indicator-box, theindicator for denoting that the section is substantially as and for thepurpose set forth. [0 cut out of the line of circuit, as set forth. Intestimony whereof Iaffix my signature in 6. In an electric railway, aline-conductor presence of two witnesses. 5 divided into sections,current safety devices WILLIAM M. SOHLESINGER.

for said sections, and feeding-conductor for the Witnesses: safetydevices in combination with an indi- S. J. VAN STAVOREN, cator box oralarm, and circuit-connection CHAS. F. VAN HORN.

